Wednesday, August 8, 2007

And I do this WHY exactly?

Besides being a cyclist, I am also a runner. Not a fast one, but I put in 16-20 miles a week. But before I was either of those, I was a walker. A fast walker. I've been participating on our company's competitive team for the Portland to Coast walking relay for many years. (The Trekking Tekkies - you can check out our placing from past years on the relay website).

I stop running at the end of July and start walking. By the time the race rolls around, I'm back up to speed. Usually. In past years. By speed, I mean 11:20 miles.

This year, it HURTS. I've got lots of cycling events right up until the race, which I will not cut back on (priorities). Yesterday I was ready to tell our spreadsheet guy to add 10 seconds per mile to my projected pace.

One of my teammates has been going on about her wonderful shoes. I checked them out, and as my current shoes (great running shoes) weren't helping, I thought I'd buy a pair. Mind you, this is the first time in 10 years that I have gone to a store and paid retail for a pair of running shoes. In previous years, my running shoes were entirely sufficient, but I haven't been able to find ones that are quite like those shoes.

Oh, SO worth it! My pace today was below my projected pace, and it felt really good. No sole scuffing, flexible soles, but sturdy enough for non-paved surfaces. Ordered another pair for the second leg today (best to have a fresh pair of shoes for each leg).

In case anyone is wondering, the Wonder Shoes are New Balance WR790 Trail Runners.

Looking forward now to racking up the roadkill on the relay!

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